Harbour Point Self Storage

It is obvious that each person involved sees the incident very differentlyI do not believe that debating the details here will EVER produce the truthTherefore I will limit my comments to facts
It is a standard policy in the storage industry and you will note from the documents attached that we merely rent space to tenants to store their belongingsWe do not in anyway assume responsibility for the "safekeeping" of those contentsYou will note from the initial statement on the front of the contract that "no deposit of goods for safekeeping is intended or created" Also note under #11, #13, #and #on page of the contract that it is again repeated that the tenant is solely responsible for the contents inside their unit and it's careItem #says specifically that we are not responsible "for damage to any personal property arising from any cause whatsoever"And finally the insurance addendum, which is a separate paper again meant to draw attention to this very fact says, we are not responsible and that the tenant is responsible to provide their own insurance against damages or be self-insured(personally assume risk of loss or damage)This tenant signed each and every item mentioned aboveIn sympathy for his situation we also offered to give him extra time at no additional cost to him to sort through the contents of his unitHe did take advantage of that offer and received two extra weeks of storage at no additional rent cost to himWe also offered to dispose of any contents he did not wish to take with him at no additional cost to himHe did NOT however take advantage of that offer but took ALL of the contents of his unit when he vacated

When this tenant came into our office I had just read his letter When he identified himself I simply said that I was aware of his complaint He asked what our company policy was to deal with this type of thing I said we did not have a
policy to deal with this type of thing as the contract he signed says that we simply rent space to tenants to store property and that the responsibility of any damage to contents stored inside those units is the sole responsibility of the tenantHe asked if I would make him a copy of the contract he signed saying he could not locate his copies right nowI made him copies and was trying to point out to him the place on the contract where responsibility was addressed and he told me he could read and took the copies from meHe asked for the phone number of the owner or someone to whom he could file a complaint I then said our policy does allow if we have a disgruntled tenant at which point he interrupted me and said he was not disgruntledI then tried to explain what I meant by disgruntled but he cut me off again saying he was an educated man and did not need me to explain to him what disgruntled meansHe was obviously not getting the response he wanted from me and would no longer let me say ANYTHING, saying he didn’t like my attitude and only wanted to talk to my husbandI did comply with his wishes and allowed my husband to handle it My husband told him we are not allowed to give out owner phone numbers but we could take his name and number and have someone get in touch with himHe was irritated but finally agreed to give us a number and the best time to reach himWe contacted our manager by email immediately after the tenant left and the tenant was actually contacted the very next day by our managerHe has since that time met with the owner of our management company to try to resolve his complaintIn sympathy for his situation our owner agreed to allow the tenant weeks at no additional charge to be able to go through his belongingsWe also agreed to dispose of anything he did not wish to keep at no cost to himTo address the “mouse” issue: We are a storage unit facility backed up by open spaceWe have a monthly pest control service who addresses all pest prevention on a regular basisIf and when we notice or are made aware of increased activity we address it quickly so as to eradicate the problem within a short period of timeWe do all that we can to address the issue outside the unitsWe strongly encourage tenants to make sure they do not have anything in their units that might attract crittersHowever, we cannot get inside individual units nor can we prevent other tenants from knowingly or unknowingly bringing in “critters” or prevent field mice from looking for warm and dry places to goWe have never had a “RAT” problem (nor have we ever said so) for the years we have been managing this facilityWe do occasionally deal with field miceIt is obvious by the tenants own pictures that we had already been addressing an increased activity noted to us by another tenant in an adjacent unit just a short time before We usually set out sticky pads and dispose of them every day or so until we get no more activity. We pride ourselves in a clean facility and do the best we can to stay on top of all pest issuesBut we cannot address issues inside individual units nor is it our responsibilityEach tenant is made aware of that fact at the time of signing contracts and even signs a separate addendum noting their responsibility to insure their own belongings against damageClaims against damage should be presented to the tenant’s insurance carrier We actually did notify all tenants in the adjacent units to make them aware of the fact they may need to address the issue inside their unitsOnly a couple of other tenants had noticed activity; two of the tenants I contacted actually said they had been in their units and did not notice any problemsWe have seen no more activity on sticky pads in the area so we can only surmise that the activity was contained to a small area and the problem has been addressed

I am rejecting this response because:
I am very optimistic that the truth will prevail… [redacted], in your previous response you alleged that you contacted clients regarding the infestation.. I responded to that notion by merely asking for evidence showing proof that you did infact contacted clients whose property was at risk ( which would included me). However you’ve manage to ignore my very obvious request for proof in this matter… it is no hidden fact that myself along with all other tenants signed an agreement. Needless to say, we also carry an expectation that if by chance something detrimental pose a threat to our belongings a “ good business’’ would exercise ethics by contacting affected and or potentially affected customers. 
You also mentioned that I was offered an extended stay… This is true, But that option was not given by you or your husband- curtesy was obselete. [redacted] offered this, and when I requested something in writing showing that a few days was being given, conveniently nothing was ever given, In fact all customers are given a 10 day courtesy to pay or quit.  And as for me having removed “ ALL” of my furniture, well again please produce something in writing that shows that I would not have been penalized if I were to have left something behind!! OBVIOUSLY, there was no reason for me to trust anything in the absence of writing- considering the type of customer service I received. My belongings stayed in the storage during the 10 day curtesy simply because the owner requested to see the unit which carried over a few days based upon the agreed date to meet. And on the date in question, the owner acknowledged the damage, and agreed to get back to me by the following Monday or Tuesday-with a fair compensation for the damaged items;and as it stand, I never heard from him again… At best he only came out to boastfully discuss his other 14 storage units throughout Sacramento.

I am rejecting this response because:  There is so much deceit in [redacted]’s response so as to appear innocent. I never once displayed any agitation during the time of me addressing my concerns, regarding my furniture. In fact at one point [redacted] slammed her fist against the counter top saying “ I am tired of people complaining about rats as if it our responsibility! and at that precise moment I stated your acting irate as if your the affected customer! furthermore  [redacted]’s husband admits- by his own admission, that I was very calm throughout this encounter ( and I have that statement recorded and I am willing to submit this to the Revdex.com). 
In response to [redacted]'s claim to have notified “ All Customers” in adjacent units, I would like for her to provide Revdex.com those details as to the date and time. I am unclear if this message was sent out prior to my complaint or after? The fact of the matter is I should have been notified weeks prior, as [redacted] clearly stated that another customer ( near about my unit) also complained and was pretty upset- prior to me complaining. If [redacted], contends that she sent out a notice in that time frame I would like to see evident of such.
The main reason I was so adamant in wanting to speak with another point of contact is because it was very evident from [redacted] and [redacted] that they did not take my letter serious. In fact I even asked why hadn’t they contacted me with via phone or email if they knew they wouldn’t take up any measures to resolve the complaint? [redacted]’s response was that they needed to see if I was serious! because they received numerous complaint and threats and no one ever follows up… I told him, its pretty obvious that I’m serious considering I was here christmas eve, christmas day ( to move out) as well as the 26, and now this day….
finally; In shifting back to the truth as far as the “disgruntled” comment… When I came into the office and having spoke to [redacted] and [redacted] for several minutes, I asked numerous times to speak with another point of contact, each time I was denied. [redacted] yelled out, she would send a message of a disgruntled customer, I literally smiled saying “ disgruntled seems a little harsh”. [redacted] then asked me “ WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF DISGRUNTLED?” … I told her was not angry ( apart of its definition) and I’m certainly not here for an academic lesson.

Review: On 9/23/2015 I rented a storage unit here in Elk Grove to temporarily store my home furniture - I sold my home. On 12-24 I returned to the storage unit to pre-determine the size of trailer needed to move my furniture into my wife and I new home. As I walked into the hallway, I immediately noticed an immense amount rat/mouse droppings that trailed the entire walkway... Even more to my surprise, were two deceases over-sized mice trapped on a sticky pad adjacent to my unit. I took photos and left to inform the office of this infestation, however the office was closed due to holiday hours. 9/25 I returned to retrieve my possessions (in effort to avoid my belongings from being infested/destroyed). Unfortunately as soon as I opened my units over-head door, my wife and I noticed rat droppings on the floor and on our furniture. As I began to move the sofa set, I was astonished to find several unknown carcasses with blood stains surrounding, coupled with blood foot prints on our cream colored sofa.

With my wife being 6 months pregnant we felt it was very unsafe to our unborn babies health to bring home anything that could present a hazard. So I took photos and video to show the office in hopes to receive some form of assistance.

The following day (9/26) I returned to harbour point self storage to speak with management. The assistant manager informed myself and wife that the managers were on vacation and would be back the following Tuesday (12/29). At this time I composed a letter to whom it may concern outlining the issue. The assistant manager made a copy of this letter and promised that someone would be in contact with me once management returned. By the 29th, I had not received a call. So I returned to harbour point self storage and met [redacted] Moore and his wife [redacted] Moore. I began to Identify myself and unit number I rent when suddenly, [redacted], interrupted me stating that she read my letter and that there was nothing they could do... She expressed, "people should be aware that the business is backed up against a field and should expect bugs"... I retorted, bugs are quite different from mouse. [redacted], advised that the company had been battling the rat infestation the entire four years that he and his wife had been living on the property... I then asked if there was a phone number or e-mail to someone else that I could have a word with? [redacted] became even more agitated and slammed her hand on the counter and yelled out, she'd get in touch with her point of contact and advise this person of a disgruntled customer! I suggested that disgruntled seems a little harsh based on how she appeared at that moment. She then retorted" what is the definition of disgruntled?" I patiently advised her that I was not angry, but at this point she has become entirely too disrespectful and or un-professional.

I shifted my attention back to [redacted], and asked why haven't they sent out notices to their customers advising them of this on-going and very obvious issue. He submits its not a big deal".

I received a call( 12/31) from a gentleman by the name of Ryan, whom identified himself as the property manager for Harbour Point Self Storage. He was very short and unconcerned with the situation. He advised there's a clause in the contract that releases the company of any and all liability.

I have a taped phone conversation between myself and [redacted] Moore (12/29) where he acknowledge that I was very polite and non confrontational in discussing this issue with himself and [redacted]. He acknowledge that [redacted] has become very agitated and temperamental. I also have photos and video of the mice, carcasses,mouse traps, feces, etc.Desired Settlement: I would like to be partially compensated for the sofa.. This will enable my wife and I to replace the sofa seeing as

Business

Response:

When this tenant came into our office I had just read his letter. When he identified himself I simply said that I was aware of his complaint He asked what our company policy was to deal with this type of thing. I said we did not have a policy to deal with this type of thing as the contract he signed says that we simply rent space to tenants to store property and that the responsibility of any damage to contents stored inside those units is the sole responsibility of the tenant. He asked if I would make him a copy of the contract he signed saying he could not locate his copies right now. I made him copies and was trying to point out to him the place on the contract where responsibility was addressed and he told me he could read and took the copies from me. He asked for the phone number of the owner or someone to whom he could file a complaint. I then said our policy does allow if we have a disgruntled tenant at which point he interrupted me and said he was not disgruntled. I then tried to explain what I meant by disgruntled but he cut me off again saying he was an educated man and did not need me to explain to him what disgruntled means. He was obviously not getting the response he wanted from me and would no longer let me say ANYTHING, saying he didn’t like my attitude and only wanted to talk to my husband. I did comply with his wishes and allowed my husband to handle it . My husband told him we are not allowed to give out owner phone numbers but we could take his name and number and have someone get in touch with him. He was irritated but finally agreed to give us a number and the best time to reach him. We contacted our manager by email immediately after the tenant left and the tenant was actually contacted the very next day by our manager. He has since that time met with the owner of our management company to try to resolve his complaint. In sympathy for his situation our owner agreed to allow the tenant 2 weeks at no additional charge to be able to go through his belongings. We also agreed to dispose of anything he did not wish to keep at no cost to him. To address the “mouse” issue: We are a storage unit facility backed up by open space. We have a monthly pest control service who addresses all pest prevention on a regular basis. If and when we notice or are made aware of increased activity we address it quickly so as to eradicate the problem within a short period of time. We do all that we can to address the issue outside the units. We strongly encourage tenants to make sure they do not have anything in their units that might attract critters. However, we cannot get inside individual units nor can we prevent other tenants from knowingly or unknowingly bringing in “critters” or prevent field mice from looking for warm and dry places to go. We have never had a “RAT” problem (nor have we ever said so) for the 4 years we have been managing this facility. We do occasionally deal with field mice. It is obvious by the tenants own pictures that we had already been addressing an increased activity noted to us by another tenant in an adjacent unit just a short time before . We usually set out sticky pads and dispose of them every day or so until we get no more activity. We pride ourselves in a clean facility and do the best we can to stay on top of all pest issues. But we cannot address issues inside individual units nor is it our responsibility. Each tenant is made aware of that fact at the time of signing contracts and even signs a separate addendum noting their responsibility to insure their own belongings against damage. Claims against damage should be presented to the tenant’s insurance carrier We actually did notify all tenants in the adjacent units to make them aware of the fact they may need to address the issue inside their units. Only a couple of other tenants had noticed activity; two of the tenants I contacted actually said they had been in their units and did not notice any problems. We have seen no more activity on sticky pads in the area so we can only surmise that the activity was contained to a small area and the problem has been addressed.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: There is so much deceit in [redacted]’s response so as to appear innocent. I never once displayed any agitation during the time of me addressing my concerns, regarding my furniture. In fact at one point [redacted] slammed her fist against the counter top saying “ I am tired of people complaining about rats as if it our responsibility! and at that precise moment I stated your acting irate as if your the affected customer! furthermore [redacted]’s husband admits- by his own admission, that I was very calm throughout this encounter ( and I have that statement recorded and I am willing to submit this to the Revdex.com). In response to [redacted]'s claim to have notified “ All Customers” in adjacent units, I would like for her to provide Revdex.com those details as to the date and time. I am unclear if this message was sent out prior to my complaint or after? The fact of the matter is I should have been notified weeks prior, as [redacted] clearly stated that another customer ( near about my unit) also complained and was pretty upset- prior to me complaining. If [redacted], contends that she sent out a notice in that time frame I would like to see evident of such.The main reason I was so adamant in wanting to speak with another point of contact is because it was very evident from [redacted] and [redacted] that they did not take my letter serious. In fact I even asked why hadn’t they contacted me with via phone or email if they knew they wouldn’t take up any measures to resolve the complaint? [redacted]’s response was that they needed to see if I was serious! because they received numerous complaint and threats and no one ever follows up… I told him, its pretty obvious that I’m serious considering I was here christmas eve, christmas day ( to move out) as well as the 26, and now this day….finally; In shifting back to the truth as far as the “disgruntled” comment… When I came into the office and having spoke to [redacted] and [redacted] for several minutes, I asked numerous times to speak with another point of contact, each time I was denied. [redacted] yelled out, she would send a message of a disgruntled customer, I literally smiled saying “ disgruntled seems a little harsh”. [redacted] then asked me “ WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF DISGRUNTLED?” … I told her was not angry ( apart of its definition) and I’m certainly not here for an academic lesson.